50,000 children living overseas get child benefit

Thousands of children living abroad are receiving child benefit (Picture: Getty)

Almost 50,000 children living abroad are receiving benefits claimed by immigrant families based in Britain, figures have revealed.

Just under 30,000 families are claiming child benefits and tax credit for offspring who live outside the country but within the EU, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

Poland is home to the highest number of children in the region who are receiving benefits claimed in Britain with more than half the total – 25,659 – receiving welfare.

Keith Vaz, chairman of the home affairs committee, said he was ‘surprised’ by the figures which were released in a written answer by the Treasury. ‘Most people would consider it wrong for people to receive child benefit when the children are living abroad permanently,’ he added.

Surprised: Keith Vaz (Picture: Getty)

Parents can claim child benefits of £20.30 a week for their eldest child and £13.40 a week for each of their other children, while child tax credit is worth at least £545 a year.

Treasury minister Sajid Javid said: ‘The main purpose of child benefit and the child tax credit is to support families in the UK. Consequently, the rules for these benefits generally do not provide for them to be paid in respect of children who live abroad.’

He said Britain was forced to pay out the sums to children living overseas under a European regulation which protects the social security rights of nationals of all EEA member states.

The data will add to concerns about the impact of an expected wave of immigration from Romania and Bulgaria when temporary controls lapse at the end of the year.